Improvement in gun-carriages



inv.

Gtfim.

A LEXANDER MON'CRIEFF, OF WOOLWICH, ENGLAND. Letters Patent No. 83,873, dated. November. 10, 1868.; patented in England, Juno 4, 1866.

IMPROVEMENT In G-U'N-CARRIAGES.-

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

"hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description of the said invention, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, and to the letters marked thereon; that is to say- The object of this invention is to afi'ord protection to guns in batteries, and to the men serving them, and at the same time to prevent the violent strains put upon the carriage and platform by the recoil. The invention consists in supporting the gun, in an elevated position, upon a flaming or other contriv ance constituting a double-'endedlever, so arranged that, while the gun is connected to one end of such lever, and a corresponding balance weight or equivalent force is attached or connected to the other end thereof, the

fiilcrum of the lever, on firing the gun, is caused, by the motion imparted thereto by the recoil, to shift nearer to the gun and farther from the balance-weight or. force, while at the same time the gun itself, in moving with the lever, sinks down into a position below the level of the parapet, so as to enable the detachment to reload it. By such shifting of the fulcrum,

'the' statical momentum of the balance-weight is made to preponderate so greatly over that of the gun that it will, when allowed free action, after loading the gun, raise the same again into its original position.

This I efl'ect by mounting the gun on a carriage which is supported by two wheels, curved rollers, or segment-blocks, which I call elevators. These elevators have a rolling motion on the rails which support them, and are connected together, by a transverse axle, near their periphery, on which the gnn-caniage rests.

To the opposite ends of these elevators, (or those ends which are lowest when the gun is in the firingposition,) I attach'a "counterweight, spring, or other force of equivalent power, as a balance to the gun, the point of contact between the elevators and the rails which support tlie'ni being the moving fulcrum above referred to.

When the gun is fired, the 'transverse axle, which supports the "gun, and which I call the gun-axle, desccnds in a cycloidal curve until the action of the counter-weight or spring of equivalent power exhausts the energy of the recoil. When the recoil is ended, the

gun-axle will be at its lowest position, and the gun which thataxle supports will be in the loading-position. In that position it is held by a checkor pawl. When that check is removed, the action ofthe counter-weight, or springof equivalent power,'will tend to bring the gun back to the firing-position, by causing the elevators to roll forward by the strain thus brought uponthem.

In carryingout this invention,,I prefer to support the rear of the gun-carriage in one of three ways, viz, first, by fixed guides,-in or on which the rear of the gun-carriage will slide; second, by elongating the guncarriage into a trail, which would be supported by a transverse-bar at the back of the frame; third, by

radius bars, centring below the frame.

' The accompanying drawing shows one of the various. arrangements of which in invention is susceptible.

The gunAis supports upon the carriage B, which is itself carried by the elevators G, situated on each side thereof, the carriage being connected to the elevators by means of the transverse axle D.

The elevawrs, which in this case are segm'entblocks, carry between them, at their lower ends, a coiuiterweight,.E, which is slightly heavier than the gun, so as to hold the same with stabilityin the raised position for firing indicated by the black lines.

The centre of gravity between the counter-weight and the gun is also, by preference, the centre for the radius with which the curved portion 0 c of the back surface of the elevators is struck, while the upper portion of the back surface is formed with a much-flatter curvaturer.

The elevators rest upon the'traversing-platform F, turning upon a central pivot, G, and running upon racers H.

On firing the gun, the recoil causes the elevators to roll back upon the'platform, and thus to bring the gun down into the position indicated by the red lines, the gun being, during such motion, maintained in its more or less horizontal position, by causing the lower end of the carriage B, provided with rollers b, to move down guide-rails I, carried by the framing J from the platform F.

So long as the elevators roll'upon their curved parts 0 c, but little resistance will be offered to the downward motion of the gun, because it will be evident that as the centre of gravity of the gun and counterweight is at the same time the centre of the circle forming that curvature, .it will always remain in one and the same vertical line with the point of that curvature which is in contact with the platform, and which' constitutes the moving-fulcrum, and therefore there will be no preponderance one way or the other. But so soon asthe elevators roll on to the flatter curvature, the fulcrum moves to one side of the vertical line, through the centre of gravity, and towards the v point of support of the gun, thus increasing the statical momentum of the counter-weight, and decreasing that of the gun, while at the same time the centre of gravity of the whole mass is raised somewhat.

By this means the momentum of the recoil will be gradually absorbed and stored up inthe counter-weight, y I

and consequently, as s'oon as such absorption had bee, completely efiected, thecounter-weight would, by vii toe of the preponderance, cause the elevators,- and, wi! them, the gun, at once to move back into their origin 3 I l I raised position. This, however, is prevented by the pawl K, in gear with the ratchet-wheel L, the spindle of which is supported by the framing J, and carries a pinion, M, in gear with the curved mc-k N, fixed to the side of the elevator (){Which rack is so formed as always to remain'imgear with the pinion during the motion of the elevators.

By this arrangement, it will be seen that so long as the pawl K is in gear with the liLtGhGtrWilQOi L, the

gun and elevators will be held in their lowered posi tion, so as to enable the detachment to load the gmi. When this has been effected, the pawl K is released from the ratchet-wheel by means of v the lever k, when the elevators will rise up with the gun into the position fol-firing over the parapet O. This upward motion of the elevators is controlled by a friction-brake, P, fixed on the spindle of the pinion M, and actuated by the handle 1).

In order to prevent the elevators from shitting out of their correct position, racks Q are fixed on the platform E, into which similar racks or studs on the elevar tors gear as these roll up anddownL. 1 Steps R R are provided, for aiming before fin'n Having thus described the nature of my invention,

The before-described system of mounting and work ing ordnance, whereby the gun is supported upona moving fulcrum, which, on the firing of the gun, is caused to shift nearer to the gun, and farther from a counter-weight, spring, or other force, while atthe same time the gun is brought into a-lowered position-.-

for reloading, and is'then automatically raisedinto position for firing.

In testimony whereofiI have signed my name to this specification, in the presenceof two subscribing witnesses, this 27th day of March, 1868.

' A. MON ORIEFE},

Witnesses:

CHAS. D. ABEL, WM. Smrwmenm. 

